Character Types #
When developing believable characters, it helps to think of real people you’ve known in your life and use them as a starting point. However, this will only get you so far. When you want a character to stand on their own—and perhaps just as importantly, to stand apart from the rest of your characters—personality types can be a handy tool.
I’ve sketched out eight basic animal archetypes based on popular personality typing systems as well as the I Ching:
You can match your characters up with just one of these types each, or for a more fine-grained approach, try choosing one for who they try to be and one for who they tend to be.
For example, a Fox-Owl would be a rather serious person who’s driven to understand everything (Owl), but also someone who puts a lot of effort into managing the impression they make on others, softening it in a self-deprecating way (Fox).
Using the system in this way allows for 64 distinct characters right off the bat. Of course, two characters of the same exact type will still be different people, but it may be helpful to differentiate your major characters into separate types so they’re easier for your readers to distinguish.
Horse #
Traits: Outgoing, receptive, intense.
Quote: “I am warm, caring, and sensitive to the needs of others.”
Trigram: ☴ (Wind)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Dove #
Traits: Outgoing, receptive, consistent.
Quote: “I am a peacemaker, sometimes too passive for my own good.”
Trigram: ☵ (Water)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Turtle #
Traits: Reserved, receptive, consistent.
Quote: “I am cautious and consistent, and I want to follow clear-cut guidelines.”
Trigram: ☶ (Mountain)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Owl #
Traits: Reserved, receptive, intense.
Quote: “I enjoy investigating complex issues that few are even interested in.”
Trigram: ☷ (Earth)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Wolf #
Traits: Reserved, tenacious, consistent.
Quote: “I am organized, orderly, and self-disciplined.”
Trigram: ☳ (Thunder)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Cat #
Traits: Reserved, tenacious, intense.
Quote: “I tend to obsess, take things personally, and dwell on the past.”
Trigram: ☲ (Fire)
Associated types:
Example characters:
- Loki
- Alice
- Anne Shirley
- Madame Bovary
- Blanche DuBois
- Jay Gatsby
- Frederick “Flip” Foster
- Pierre Batiste
Fox #
Traits: Outgoing, tenacious, intense.
Quote: “I am fun-loving and spontaneous; I try to keep my life exciting.”
Trigram: ☱ (Lake)
Associated types:
Example characters:
Bear #
Traits: Outgoing, tenacious, consistent.
Quote: “My dominating personality allows me to take charge and gain recognition.”
Trigram: ☰ (Heaven)
Associated types:
Example characters: